NEK4 suppresses cell proliferation in BT20 triple-negative breast cancer cells by diminishing expression of cell cycle genes, while its depletion mitigates proliferation in other cell lines.

ABSTRACT: Never In Mitosis Gene A (NIMA)-related kinase 4 (NEK4), a serine/threonine protein kinase, is involved in several cellular processes, including the DNA damage response and mRNA splicing, and we identified it as a potential new drug target in triple-negative breast cancer. We observed via live-cell imaging that multiple NEK4-depleted cell lines proliferated more slowly than control cells, except the BT20 and MCF12A cell lines, in which proliferation was stimulated with NEK4 depletion. We hypothesized that NEK4 regulates genes involved in cell proliferation in BT20 cells. NEK4-depleted BT20 cells were subjected to RNA-seq. Enrichment analysis revealed the upregulation of genes involved in cell cycle, mitosis, and G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) ligand binding and the downregulation of gene

SUBMITTER: Joshi RR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12457296 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature